The world is changing rapidly; the population is growing with each passing second and to ensure the safety of the people the government has to take suitable measures. Traffic rules have to be followed no matter what the same ensuring the safety of the other people. There are various ways of road monitoring methods for instance the speed cameras; police patrol etc, this paper will throw light upon various road monitoring methods in developed and developing countries.
“Road traffic accident casualty and crash data were collected for two years before the introduction of cameras and two years subsequently. The casualties and crashes occurring at 29 camera sites were identified and separated from those occurring in the rest of the county.” (Method, 16 March 2009).
Hit and run cases have become very common these days in many countries across the globe; traffic violation has become a part and parcel of many people’s lives. The people fail to realize that violating the traffic rules is an offense and it is dangerous for them as well as for other people. Countless accidents occur because of violations of traffic rules. Some countries like the US and others have a no-nonsense policy when it comes to following the traffic rules. This ensures the safety of all the people in the country and also helps in maintaining decorum which is very essential.
Various traffic control methods in Developed Countries
Automatic Vehicle Identification is an extremely important and useful way of monitoring the traffic; this system was first implemented by Houston in the US. It is popularly known as the AVI system and it is extremely effective in monitoring traffic. The system is equipped with an antenna that monitors the traffic and ensures no violation takes place.
“The system uses vehicles equipped with transponder tags as vehicle probes. The main source of vehicle probes are commuters using the “EZ-Tag” automatic toll collection system installed by the Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA). Transponder tag readers are placed at 1 to 55-mile intervals along freeways and HOV lanes. Each reader senses probe vehicles as they pass a reader station and transmits the time and location of the probes to a central computer over a telephone line. As the probe vehicles pass through successive AVI readers, the software calculates average travel times and speeds for a roadway segment. The averages are made available to software that provides the data for the Houston Tran Star website. (How it Works, 16 March 2009)
The AVI system can be better understood with the help of the diagram above.
Houston TranStar is a leader in freeway incident management and it is responsible for the innovative technology of Automatic Vehicle Identification. The organization was the first to combine transportation and emergency management centers this is commendable and the same is proving to be very beneficial in monitoring traffic as well as in assisting people who require assistance. The organization is very effective in more ways than one; it has established itself in the field of monitoring traffic and ensuring the safety of the people. The organization is equipped with more than 600 close circuit cameras which effectively keep a track of the traffic and ensure no violation takes place. People become more cautious when they are being observed, in the sense that fewer cases of traffic violation have been reported in countries that use close circuit cameras to monitor traffic than those that do not use this technology.
“In 2006, travel delays cost the region more than $714 million. However, by actively managing traffic incidents and providing travel information to the public, Houston Tran Star offset travel delays in the region by more than 12 million vehicle hours, for a monetary benefit of $228.8 million. The reduced travel time lowered fuel consumption by 22.7 million gallons, for an additional savings of more than $57 million, or a total of $286 million in benefits to the region. (How it Works, 16 March 2009)
Traffic light speed cameras
In this technology either ground roots that are cut into surface or radar technology is used, when loops are made use of the system is activated upon the flash of a red light any vehicle which passes by when the light is red is detected by the sensor and photographed. Radar-basedffic cameras work upon the same principle as the fixed Gatso speed cameras. “A news story that appeared in the Daily Mail newspaper reported that the Home Office plan to turn over 1,000 traffic light cameras into speed cameras.”More than 1,000 traffic cameras used to catch drivers jumping red lights are to be converted so they can also trap speeders”. (Traffic light speed cameras, 16 March 2009)
“Road traffic collisions are an important cause of death and disability worldwide. Every year around the world 1.2 million people are killed and up to 50 million are injured or disabled as a result of road traffic collisions.” (Introduction, 16 March 2009). Looking at these stats it is very essential to implement good traffic rules in order to save countless people who lose their life because of the mistake of other people.
Conclusion
Research and stats speak for themselves; the paper has enough evidence which prove that crashes can be avoided by using Cameras to monitor traffic. In developed countries, advanced technology is used to ensure safety but in many Asian countries like India etc there is no such facility and as a result of which innocent people get killed. The developing countries should also try and implement advanced traffic measures to avoid devastation.
References
About Houston Tran Star. In Houston Tran Star. Web.
Introduction. In Medical Publication of the Year. Web.
Method. In Science Direct Journal. Web.
Traffic Light Speed Cameras. In Speed Cameras UK. Web.
The Effects of Mobile Speed Cameras. In Science Direct. Web.
Vehicle Classification Monitoring. In Federal Highway Administration. Web.